Well... it has been a while since I have written, and we have had a lot going on. Please forgive me for not writing as often.
Let’s see... last time I wrote, I went into great detail describing the transmission work I did on my truck. Ha... I’m sure there are a few of you that really enjoyed that.. ha... Since then, I’ve done some more work on my truck.
1.I took it to a body shop and had the doors adjusted, cab corners painted to match the rest of the truck, top of my cab painted, and the back of my bed painted. It was a pretty good price, since it has been a relatively mild winter here-- body shops are looking for work. I’m really happy with how it turned out. I even had a guy do the door logos over again and re-do the flames on the hood.... hey, don’t laugh.. it adds character. HA!
2.I put a stereo in my truck... so I’ve actually got music now.
3.I changed out of command. It is such a relief to feel like i’ve got a little more free time to relax now- not that I do that too much. Being a battery commander for the past 3+ years has been the most rewarding and demanding job I have had in the Army. I have never felt that I could help and serve others in the way I was able to do so as a Battery Commander. It has really refreshed my spirit and dedication to duty. With that, it has also worn me out a little... makes me want to relax a little bit now. It has been really nice over the past few weeks, being able to do that.
4.I’ve started fishing again, for the first time in what seems like 15 years now. It is really a lot of fun. We bought a few Zebco fishing poles for LeAnn and Elijah too. It has been fun. I really enjoy it and look forward to getting the chance to fish even more when we are in Florida. I’m really excited about getting back into hunting and fishing now that I should have a little more free time. I looked it up online tonight- a year long hunting, salt and freshwater fishing license is only $20 for active duty military in Florida! So I’m looking forward to that.
5.Traci and I are planning to move ourselves to Florida. We were going to use the Army movers, but decided against it for various reasons. We have contracted movers to come transport our stuff to Florida, then we will meet up with our stuff at the house we’ll be renting. We are pretty excited about the house. We still have our house on the market, so we were a little hesitant to jump into another mortgage right now. So, we’re playing it safe. Our new backyard has a dock out onto a river in Navarre, FL, so we are really looking forward to it... fishing with the kids will be fun and a lot easier now :) The picture above is an aerial photo of our future home (The house in the middle).
Well, let’s see.... my thoughts. Life sure is interesting at times...
I feel myself getting older... I feel like I think like an older man. I think it’s from all of the time gone away from home. I feel like I'm frustrated a lot of the time with the way things are now. Let’s see... a few examples to fuel my fire..
Customer service-- I feel like people think you’re asking them to cut off an arm to do their job when you go into a business. I don’t know where it went, but no one seems to put customers first anymore when you go into places... am I wrong??
Money-- I can’t stand the way it seems like half of the commercials you hear on the radio are all about financial aid... trying to help people figure out how to live on their credit cards... Traci and I worked through a lot of Dave Ramsey’s material over the deployment, and I feel like it has done a lot of good for me.. and for our family... but it makes me really take a look at the non-sense we are getting marketed... and it is scarey to me. Then, it is comical how after you hear a financial / debt consolidation / credit counseling commercial- the next ad will be for new stereos and rims for cars. How absurd is all of this?
Technology-- Technology is wonderful. It makes our lives easier... once you figure it all out... But... It seems like the cell phone industry has exploded... and gotten a little out of control. A few years ago we bought an iPhone for Traci to use to organize all of the FRG (Family Readiness Group) phone numbers and email addresses... It really helped make things easier in that respect... After I returned from Iraq and changed out of command, I went looking at these phones again, and WOW! Don’t get me wrong, they are neat... but the digital service fees and all of the other non-sense fees... It just seems ridiculous how much prices have gone up for these kinds of service plans... so I really wonder... do I really need to have a computer at home... at work... and a computer in my pocket, connected the the internet at all times??.. Is all of this really necessary?? I don’t think it is... What do you think?... Sure it is convenient... but wow... Is it worth half a car payment?? I don’t know... It also annoys the hell out of me when you go into a cell phone store and you get assaulted by some 19 year old that tells you how much you NEED this phone... or NEED this service plan... and how he can “pull some strings” to get me a free car charger if I buy the $140 service plan with $400 in new phones.. Is there something wrong with my thinking that all of this is just a little too much??
So, What’s my point??.. I feel like we are living through some tough times... and a real shift in thinking about financial matters today. I feel like our government has taken something from each of us... Personal accountability. The precedent that major corporations will not be allowed to fail can lead an individual to question why he or she is working so diligently to pay all of their bills... struggling to make ends meet. It seems like I see so many people that are using this economic struggle as an excuse to ... “quit”... and walk away from their obligations.. It makes me sick to see this happening. But... the precedent has been set... I certainly hope that personal accountability and responsibility... find some even ground in these strenuous economic times...
To further illustrate my point, take a look at some of the WWII era posters put out by our government to ensure that citizens were good stewards of their resources and were encouraged to save and buy War Bonds.
http://www.google.com/images?q=wwii+war+bond+posters&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source-univ&ei=nF6MTL7KKYWKlwfrwOhq&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=6&ved=0CE0QsAQwBQ&biw=1261&bih=626
Take a good look at these... It’s interesting to look through them. I’m sure none of them would make the cut for modern day use... I’m certainly not implying by these posters that I feel like we need in implement some kind of ration system to get through this economic struggle... or support war funding... but... you can’t help but notice the fundamental change in the thinking of our government... and our people as Americans... We have gone from saving, conserving, and doing without... to “do something patriotic... go spend this stimulus check to boost the economy.” There is something fundamentally wrong with this kind of thinking....
I’m saying that I’m frustrated about the things above mostly because of how disgusted I feel about things... and how “more, more, more”... just never seems like it’s enough. This change in thinking is frustrating to me... because yes... it does make me feel old... to sound like a grandparent complaining about things... ha... but it does seem like this attitude of financial irresponsibility is rubbed in our faces on a daily basis..... and nothing has stopped it... it is very disappointing to me...
What do you think??..
Well... I think I’m going to go to bed... and go fishing with Elijah in the morning. I hope you enjoy your weekend.
Take care,
Steve
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